2020 NFL Draft: Ross Blacklock improves Houston Texans pass rush
The Houston Texans make a move to improve their pass rush from the interior with the selection of Ross Blacklock in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Houston Texans only had the 40th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft because they made the baffling trade that sent DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals. We can continue to make fun of Bill O’Brien for his ridiculous moves, but we have to give him credit when he does well. The trade to acquire this pick left plenty to be desired, but the selection of Ross Blacklock here is solid.
The Houston Texans desperately struggled to rush the passer last season and needed to make edge rusher and interior pass rush a priority in the 2020 NFL Draft. Ross Blacklock is not the biggest defensive tackle in this class, but he is extremely quick off of the ball and shows a ton of upside as a one-gap penetrator.
Blacklock shows a tremendous combination of quickness and power up front that will play at the next level. He is not going to be able to come in and handle two-gap responsibilities, but if the Texans simply let him pin his ears back and attack the quarterback, it is easy to see him having success at the next level.
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Blacklock is a good football player who fills an obvious need for this team. I would have probably preferred to see them snag an impact edge rusher, but getting a guy who can attack the quarterback from the interior makes sense as well. I just hope that Houston is not expecting Blacklock to replace what D.J. Reader gave them as a run defender on the inside. He is not that kind of player.
The Texans have not made many strong moves recently, but they deserve credit for this solid pick of Ross Blacklock here.